Baltic Literature and Russian Imperialism

With Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine reviving imperial rhetoric, Baltic Literature and Russian Imperialism explores how literature has long resisted domination. Twenty scholars uncover how Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian writers responded to Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet forms of Russian power. From censored novels and forced Russification to suppressed memory and cultural survival, this book traces how literature exposes injustice, preserves national identity, and challenges the myths of liberation. Drawing on rare archival sources and regional postcolonial approaches, this timely volume reveals why the cultural fight for freedom, waged with words, is as urgent now as ever. Contributors are: Madara Āriņa, Eva Eglāja-Kristsone, Anna Freiberga, Deniss Hanovs, Aušra Jurgutienė, Narius Kairys, Benedikts Kalnačs, Ieva Kalniņa, Zita Kārkla, Laurynas Kudijanovas, Laura Laurušaitė, Mārtiņš Mintaurs, Donata Mitaitė, Jānis Oga, Dalia Pauliukevičiūtė, Aare Pilv, Ivars Šteinbergs, Jüri Talvet, Valdis Tēraudkalns, and Brigita Valantiejienė.